The Trump administration took down a painting by Kehinde Wiley, a Black artist known for creating the official portrait of former President Barack Obama, from the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. Officials there said the artwork was too “woke,” which means they thought it promoted certain modern views on social issues.
The State Department is now looking into whether they can sell the painting, called “Young Artists After Siamesas 1960.” The painting was commissioned by the federal government in 2013 and was part of the State Department’s Art in Embassies program.
This program uses artwork to show cultural connections and support diplomacy around the world.
The painting shows four young Dominican artists, with Wiley’s usual floral background.
Erin Scavino, who was put in charge of the Art in Embassies program by the Trump administration, called the painting “very woke” and “aesthetically terrifying.”
U.S.
Ambassador Leah Campos shared a video of the painting being removed, saying the embassy is moving away from “globalist and woke ideologies.”
The State Department said on Tuesday, August 25, that they are checking with legal experts to see if the painting can be sold.
If allowed by law, selling the artwork would be their main plan.
Kehinde Wiley was honored with a State Department Medal of Arts in 2015 for his work in cultural diplomacy.
He later became famous for painting Barack Obama’s official portrait, which is displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
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